Publisher's Summary

Do you exude confidence and credibility? Can you command a room? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, one of the world's most influential business thinkers, cracks the code of Executive Presence (EP) for men and women intent on winning the next plum assignment and doing something extraordinary with their lives.

You might have the qualifications to be considered for your dream job, but you won't get far unless you can signal that you're "leadership material" and that you "have what it takes." Professionals are judged on presence as well as on performance.

Using a wealth of hard data - including a new nationwide survey and dozens of focus groups - Hewlett reveals EP to be a dynamic mix of three things: How you act (gravitas), how you speak (communication), and how you look (appearance). She also draws on in-depth interviews with a wide selection of admired leaders to reveal how they embody and deploy key elements of EP.

This book is immensely practical. Hewlett teases out tactics that can help you raise your game and close the gap between merit and success. She offers the unvarnished advice you won't get from supportive friends and tackles head-on such touchy subjects as too-tight clothing and too-shrill voices. She shows how the standards for EP vary for men, women, multicultural, and LGBT employees, and she shares how to get meaningful feedback from politically correct bosses intent on avoiding the real issues.

The good news is that EP is eminently teachable. You can learn how to "show teeth" while remaining likable, and you can teach yourself how to dress appropriately while staying true to yourself. You don't have to be born with the voice of James Earl Jones or the looks of Angelina Jolie to hurdle the EP bar. With hard facts and vivid examples, Hewlett shows you how to ace EP and fully realize your unique potential - no matter who you are, no matter where you work.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

As a African Americans man in business, I found this book to be relevant information for me or anyone seriously contemplating tangible steps they can take in thought and action to progressively improve their station in life. The author, in clear descriptive language makes accessible to us all, the challenges we face when arriving in a corporate community from disperse backgrounds and points of view. She lays out before our eyes a clear alternative perspectives that can be adopted, to inform our decision making, and improve or relationships skills with others, while simultaneously positioning ourselves for career advancement. It seems as though no stone is left untund. She safely approaches and brings you through, difficult and sometimes controversial topics. Leaving you with a pleasant feeling of enjoyment and a since of accomplishment. One of my best reads this year.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

C'Ella Clayton

22/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great examples"

I have read similar books. By far the examples she shares in this book are more relevant, eye-opening, and insightful

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Rachel Williams

28/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great tips for women on the dynamics of presence!"

The way you dress, carry yourself, interject, tone of voice, etc. all play a part in how you are perceived and received in the workplace and in life. You may not want to admit it but the only way to win the game is to play.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Michael

Sydney, Australia

26/04/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A timely essay on stepping up"

I don't work in the corporate world, but have. I try to be fair in my dealings with minorities and women. I grew up with 8 sisters and believe in their abilities and strengths however I have made mistakes. This book opened my eyes, gave me some strategies to think about and hopefully I can start to make a difference with making the world a little bit fairer and opening up business to the benefits of women, minorities and being a true leader.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ngoc

17/01/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Review"

This book is heavy on EP for women and minorities. Not recommended for white males, which according to the book already have an EP advantage.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Jerry

North Brunswick, NJ, United States

19/07/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Focuses too much on how to dress and woman issues"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this book generally. While entertaining, it did not have mind blowing insight for me personally. The author focuses heavily on woman's issues and the differences in executive presence for woman as compared to men. Also the author overly focuses on how to dress, and repeats many of the same points. The rest of the book is enjoyable if you can get past the comments above.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Veronica

San Diego, CA

25/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"fair advice from a woman w/ experience in business"

not what I expected. was hoping for a little more detail regarding appearance and strategies. overall it was an average reading experience.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Josh

19/01/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Bland."

The book is not concise. You can get the main points from a summary. The framework applied is helpful the rest is very basic. Good for beginners to this area but not beyond.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Paula Tipton

23/12/15

Overall

Performance

Story

" A decent book on EP"

overall this is a good book. However, there are a few chapters that are a struggle to make it through..

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Mitra

San Francisco, CA, United States

29/09/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Pretty informative"

I liked this book, very good info about how to step up your game. I especially liked how it covered mostly women's experience as I can relate. It was however lacking a bit on step-by-step instructions. Good overall guidelines to work by but not enough clear direction on how to go about following the advice. It is worth listening to though.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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